How Big Can I Go?

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How Big Can I Go?

Postby jwh92020 » Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:26 pm

I'm brand new to the teardrop world, but I have done a couple of remodels on a pop up and small travel trailer. How big can you go on a Harbor Freight trailer (1700 lb model) without moving the axle or having to weld? My wife gets a bit claustrophobic, so I want to get her as much room as possible. Since this will be my first TD, I want to start on a smaller scale (I know, start small but make it big - oxymoron). Thanks for any advice.
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Re: How Big Can I Go?

Postby bobhenry » Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:07 am

Chubby is 5'6" by 10 foot..

Image

Image


I did reinforce the tongue as we discussed (AGAIN) yesterday

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=63692&p=1134721#p1134721
Growing older but not up !
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Re: How Big Can I Go?

Postby jwh92020 » Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:38 pm

Do you think I can get a 6' x 10' platform on one and be safe?
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Re: How Big Can I Go?

Postby pjo129 » Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:32 pm

I went 6' X 8' on the Patrol Box.

Photos in my gallery or build journal. I'm on my phone and posting pics isn't working well.
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"Patrol Box" camper build thread http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=55583

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Re: How Big Can I Go?

Postby S. Heisley » Sun Jul 19, 2015 11:57 pm

jwh92020 wrote:I'm brand new to the teardrop world, but I have done a couple of remodels on a pop up and small travel trailer. How big can you go on a Harbor Freight trailer (1700 lb model) without moving the axle or having to weld? My wife gets a bit claustrophobic, so I want to get her as much room as possible. Since this will be my first TD, I want to start on a smaller scale (I know, start small but make it big - oxymoron). Thanks for any advice.


A couple things about this:

1) If you put the galley in the back like most teardrops, it's usually too heavy in the back unless you move the axle back to balance the weight.
You can check that here: http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear81.htm

2) Depending on what state you live in, you may be limited by weight; so, check with your state DMV or the Internet to see how much your finished TD can weigh if it doesn't have brakes (I'm assuming it won't) and keep your weight below that.

All that said, I would build it at least 5 feet wide, so the two of you aren't elbowing each other in the night; and, assuming you're building a teardrop, be sure to have a door on each side for easy exit without someone crawling over the other person. If it is 5 feet wide on the inside, you can put a queen size mattress in it, which should help your wife feel less claustrophobic. The windows help, too.

...Just my two cents.
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Re: How Big Can I Go?

Postby KCStudly » Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:01 am

Basically +1 on what Sharon said about 5 wide and two doors.

Also, putting the doors where you can "sit" in the doorway where your seat will be when laying down, and "spin" by lifting your knees and rolling back into your sleeping position is preferred by many; as opposed to having the doors further forward and having to crawl or move around a bunch inside to get comfortable. So to position the doors "properly", allowing for fenders and door trim, sometimes the axle needs to go back anyway. People have gotten away w/ not moving the axle, and you can also extend the tongue for better balance and handling, but check where you want your doors first, as that may be a deciding factor.

Another way to make it feel roomy inside is to not extend the cabinets too far over your legs or head. Keep the face frames closer to the bulkhead and front wall. You give up a little storage space, but you won't get as much of that encroaching feeling as you might with some of these builds that have cabinets practically out to the doors. I think it was Becky who used a single one of those wire type cabinet organizer style shelves in lieu of cabinets in her Sagwagon, and it kept the inside feeling wide open.

If you will be using a foam mattress, keep the overall width to 60 inches outside. You can easily cut the foam mattress down a little (if necessary), you will never notice the difference, and you will save a lot of waste material if you are using 5 ft wide stock sizes for your floor and roof skins.
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